Dustin Fuqua, Chief of Resource Management at Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Natchitoches Parish, gave a presentation as part of the Alexandria Museum, of Art’s “Renegade Tour” at the museum Thursday, May 29. The presentation, “The River is the Road: Tracing the Red River in Cenla Through Brush Strokes of Explorers”, traced our understanding of the Red River through maps made throughout the region’s long history of Native American, Spanish, English, French and American settlement. The evolution of our region’s relationship to the Red River may also be seen in the many different names the river has been known by over the centuries, from Rio Sovma, to Riviere de Marne, to the modern Red River.

Fuqua, a recognized expert in traditional Louisiana crafts and folkways, also spoke of traditional building materials such as bousillage, The Renegade Tour is a series of presentations given by community members at the museum that explore topics that would not be normally associated with art or a museum. In this case, the maps are beautiful pieces of art in their own right. The talk was also tied into the Alexandria Museum of Art’s current exhibit of works by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue titled “The River is the Road.”